Search

Whenever you see a parade outside, you can count on politicians to jump out in front of it to demonstrate their leadership. Even better is when two parades cross paths, shouting opposing slogans that can be turned into campaign dollars at the drop of a sound bite. And best of all, if the issue they are shouting about is unlikely ever to be “solved,” you have the closest thing to a political annuity yet invented.

Like many culture-war issues, attitudes about gun control pretty much evenly divide the electorate. As the political debate gets louder and nastier, it sucks all the air out of the news cycle, leaving other issues crying for attention. Now, if only the country’s looming bankruptcy could ignite that kind of passion! Instead, the runaway spending train continues hurtling down the tracks, with no one willing to get out in front of it.